The Labor
Education Service (LES) is seeking a full-time labor
educator to join our staff with primary responsibilities as
editor of the Workday Minnesota project. This is an exciting
opportunity for a skilled and creative communicator with a
commitment to economic and social justice. Workday Minnesota
is a project produced by LES in cooperation with labor and
community organizations. It consists of a website and social
media that provide news and resources on activities and
issues important to working people. While the editor is
based in the Twin Cities, Workday serves the entire state.
The editor has primary responsibility for this project and
collaborates with other members of the LES media team. For
full job description and instructions for applying, see
attachment. Application
deadline: September 29, 2017

Union
jobs fair

The
Northwest Suburbs Community Labor Coalition and Working
Partnerships are hosting a Union Jobs Fair on September
27th at the
Pipefitters Training Center (6200 Lakeland Avenue north,
Brooklyn Park). They are inviting a variety of union employers
and union training & apprenticeship programs to participate
in the employer panel and hiring event.

The Senate will
not vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal Obamacare,
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republicans in a
closed-door meeting, three sources told CNN. McConnell met with
lawmakers Tuesday to take stock of where his members are on the
proposal and make the call once and for all if Graham-Cassidy,
the latest bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, will get a vote
in the Senate.

On Monday, Sen.
Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, finally came out against
the bill, a position she'd been teetering toward for days. Sens.
John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky also opposed to
the measure. The calculations for health care are agonizing for
McConnell. Putting a controversial bill on the floor without the
votes exposes members to political fallout and attack ads. Many
Republicans haven't even taken a public position on
Graham-Cassidy, a bill that the Congressional Budget Office said
Monday would drastically cut Medicaid and lead to millions of
people not having health insurance compared to the status quo.

On Capitol
Hill, there are rumblings among lawmakers about ways to
keep trying on repeal if this week ends with defeat (the
current legislative vehicle that Republicans are using to
move a health care bill without any Democratic support
expires after Saturday).

One idea --
which hardly enjoys widespread support at the moment -- is
to tie both health care and tax reform to the 2018 budget.
Graham and Sen. Ron Johnson, who both sit on the budget
committee, have advocated for this idea. It has raised
concerns among Republican lawmakers and staff alike who
know just how messy that could potentially be. One GOP
aide bluntly described that scenario as "a
nightmare."

Keep
the pressure on!

NewCouncil 5 Executive Director

President
Judy Wahlberg and I want to announce that effective November 1,
the Council 5 Executive Board has selected AFSCME Council 5
Assistant Director John Westmoreland to be the next Executive
Director.John will transition beginning at the above date and take
over full function by December 15, 2017.

A two-day
mediation effort aimed at resolving the budget dispute
between Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative
leaders ended abruptly Friday with no deal. Mediator
Rick Solum said in a statement that talks were "at
an impasse, the understandable views of the parties
being irreconcilable."

For
now, the court case heads back to the courts. The Minnesota
Supreme Court specifically left the case open and they’ve
asked the governor and Legislature to report back on the status
of their mediation by Friday. Since the mediation didn’t
exactly go well, the Supreme Court might have to make a more
definitive ruling on the case. While they stated Dayton’s veto
was constitutional, they also raised concerns about the ongoing
operation of the Legislative branch.

In
filings last week, Dayton’s attorney Sam Hanson argued the
courts should provide the Legislature with temporary, essential
funding until the political issue is resolved, but the
Legislature's attorney, Doug Kelley, argued only the Legislature
has the power to order funding under the Constitution. Kelley
argues the courts should affirm the lower court ruling that the
veto is unconstitutional and void. The Supreme Court could also
rule that legislators have time to figure out a solution during
the next legislative session.

AFSCME
News

Calling all future Local 34
Stewards!!

Are
YOU interested in learning more about the grievance process?
Would you like to become more involved in our local, while
also acting as a resource for your peers? Become a Local 34
Steward! Stewards act as a union representative for members
during investigatory meetings, grievance hearings and
more.

AFSCME has
made a commitment to getting back
to organizing basics, building
power at the grassroots level and
hearing the unique concerns of
every public service worker in
one-on-one conversations. As a
union, we will never quit fighting
for the respect and opportunity
public service workers deserve,
because public service workers
never quit on our communities.

AFSCME
strong events are scheduled for 9/14 at the North Hub
and TBD in November at the South Hub.

Who:
All are welcome! Anyone who wants to learn
more about or get a feel for union organizing or
get more involved in our union.

When:
Next event will be in November,
2017

How:
Let Deb
Konechne know. Ask for the day
off, take Special Leave Without Pay (SLWOP) and
our union pays your day’s wages.

Upcoming
Dates/Locations:

November
- South Hub

Local
34 will continue our efforts to develop Member Action
Teams (MAT) during 2017. The structure is aimed at
fostering communication, networking and organizing for
our members. Our goal is to have 80 MAT leaders by the
end of 2017. Contact Deb Konechne, Local 34 Membership
Secretary for more information and to express your
interest in becoming a MAT leader. Contact Deb at deblkon@yahoo.com
or Deborah.Konechne@hennepin.us
or call her at 612-816-4321.

Member
Action Team meeting:
The next MAT (Member Action Team) meeting is 10/18. All are welcome. Contact
Deb Konechne for more information.

Steward
Training: The
next stewards’ training is scheduled for 10/9/17.